Halation
by Lothahnos
Summary: You know what's worse than dying? Being fully awake during your own birth. Trying to blur out any mistakes you know you will eventually makes definitely does not make being born again worth it. I really wish Kishimoto paid more attention to characters that weren't Naruto or Sasuke. Pseudo-SI. Semi-OC. AU.
1. Without a Sound

I'd have to say the strangest sensation I've had the misfortune of feeling is being fully cognizant, at least in terms of tactile processing, during my own birth, but I'd rather not get into too much detail about that.

Conscious birthing aside, this whole situation is rather strange, really. One minute, I'm falling asleep – probably dying – in a hospital bed, surrounded by snickering doctors. The next thing I know, I'm rudely awakened by the uncomfortable feeling of being pulled through a fleshy opening that I should have never fit through. Oh wait. Sorry, I said I wouldn't go into too much detail about that.

The strangest thing about my situation is that there was a massive rush of information that flooded my mind the second I saw the light of this new world. Apparently, I was born, or reborn, I should say, in Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Yeah, that Konoha, from the manga Naruto.

Now that I've got all the boring setting stuff aside, I'd like to get more into who I am and the meaty details of my unfortunate situation. I was born into some no name clan that decided to join the wonderful village of Konoha shortly after its founding. Worst of all, I was born shortly after the First Shinobi World War, a time that was barely fleshed out during the manga, so no magical otherworldly foreknowledge to exploit throughout my life. Okay, no more complaining.

Actually, I lied; I'll have one more complaint.

Of all the fictional universes to be born into, I was forced into the wonderful, plot-hole-filled brainchild of Kishimoto?

I huddled closer into the blanket wrapped around me by the nurse and looked up into the bright, green eyes of my presumed mother. She looked back at me with a strange mixture of awe and shock. Did I do something wrong?

I shuffled my upper body out of the cloth cocoon and inspected my… arms, as in two, fully functional arms. I'll have to add that to the list of things to remember for the future. Being reborn would mean that I would not have any of my old injuries or physical deficiencies. More specifically meaning that I am no longer an amputee. I looked back up at my mother and saw her looking at me with those same worried eyes. There was definitely nothing wrong with my. Then, it hit me.

I was a baby. And, based on my mom's reaction, I was a very smart baby. I should really remember to make my eyes look dumber in the future. And cry more. Anything more aligned with infantile idiosyncrasies. I was ptobably one of the many once-in-a-lifetime prodigies that littered Kishimoto's amazing world of magical ninjas. Wait. Pre-second war era, no name clan, and child prodigy? Which one was I? Did I take someone else's place?

I looked back at my mother, drinking in her features. She had smooth, pale skin, sharp facial features, and very long black hair. I reached out and gently pulled my hands through her hair, noting that it was very soft as she let out gentle peals of laughter and cooed at me. I racked my brain to think of people who would fit my description. Itachi? No… I'm to early to be him. Maybe Kakashi, or Sakumo? Those two supposedly gained all their features paternally, so the women in their families could look like anything?

Honestly, I'd be ok with any of the above. They're all badass ninjas in their own right. I was so immersed in my ruminations that I nearly jumped out of my blankets when a man in completely white clothing approached my mother. I glanced over at him similarly, taking note of his almost slitted eyes. Was that Orochimaru? Maybe my information was wrong. I really hope I wasn't Orochimaru's secret bastard child or anything. The whole Mitsuki and Log thing still reeked heavily of bullshit.

"I'm sorry I was late, dear," the man began. "I rushed back into the village as fast as I could when I heard you had gone into labor."

Well, at least who or whatever deemed it fit to implant a dictionary into my head.

"It's alright," my mother replied, stroking my head lightly. "I was just about to name him, unless you had any suggestions?"

"Well, his eyes look a lot like mine… Sorry about that."

Oh god please no. I'm a little snake boy now?

"Oh you don't need to apologize. I always thought those were your most alluring features, you know."

I almost vomited then and there. If watching my new parents flirt and make out was my first major experience in this world, Konoha would forever be known as the village with the first infantile suicide.

"Hmmm. Maybe something with snakes then? He can probably sign the Contract when he grows older," my father stated pensively.

Oh god. Was this some kind of horrifying alternate universe Naruto where Orochimaru was actually a nice guy? That's it, isn't it. I'm the snake pedophile's firstborn son. Woe is me.

"He does seem very intelligent, especially for an infant. A valuable asset to Konoha, for sure."

My father laughed.

"Maybe we should give him a name to pass down through legend then."

I don't like where this is going.

"You're right, Yashagoro. Maybe we'll name him based on your name then?"

That name sounded familiar…

Oh wait. No. Please, no. Not like this. Anything but this.

"See, I told you waiting until his birth wasn't a bad idea," he said with a scarily familiar smirk.

"It's settled, then. His name will be –"

Don't you dare say it.

"Orochimaru."

Fuck.


	2. Without a Sign

**AN: Also wrote this chapter on my phone while on a plane. It must be a trend. Idunno. Enjoy and review! Also, I'm gonna try to end chapters with an expletive.**

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First thing's first: life in a fictional - well, not anymore, I guess - world of ninjas is extremely boring, and dull. Seriously, how the hell did anyone ever survive without wifi?

That being said, I only had one thing to keep me entertained in this technologically impaired world: training. The other children my age were too immature to hold conversations with and the adults - people my mental age - saw me as too immature to hold conversations with. Life is bitter. Always.

Anyway, let me give you the rundown of my first three years as the future boogeyman of the shinobi world. I spent the first two years of my life developing my motor skills and a majority of my third year deciphering the strange mixture of kanji and Sanskrit that constituted the written language of this world. I'm very, very proud to say that it only took me about 8 months to get the basics. Supportive lessons from my amazing new mother and equally amazing, if not a bit creepy, new father facilitated this process exponentially.

As I predicted, my rapid mental and physical growth earned me the label of prodigy. However, I couldn't help but feel a little chested. Having over 30 years of life experience as a baby really made learning "new" things a lot less exciting.

Once I turned four, I expressed, as obnoxiously and obviously as possible, my interest in fuinjutsu. It was always my favorite aspect of the Naruro universe. I mean, an ability limited only by your own knowledge and imagination is quite possibly the most broken ability ever. Of all time.

Thankfully, my father noticed this and acquired, for my sake, several scrolls covering the basics of the art of sealing. My mother, who was a bit more constant in my life than my father, who was almost always on missions, took a more hands-on approach. She personally tutored me, to the best of her admittedly impressive ability, in the various intricacies of calligraphy.

Finally, the year spent taking traditional art classes in college paid off.

Unfortunately, my mother cared a bit too much for my physical wellbeing and refused to spar with me.

Fortunately, my father cared way too much about making me happy and often sneaked me away from home to some secluded training ground to teach me his personal taijutsu style, which was basically just a less developed version of the style employed by the Orochimaru of the manga and Anko.

However, within everything that my father did for me, there was one thing that stood out beyond all others. He taught me the secrets of chakra. He showed me the basics of harnessing and molding it and introduced me to one of the greatest feelings of all time, the feeling of pure strength, the complete lack of powerlessness that the active flow of chakra introduced to my body.

It was maddening, awe-inducing, and comforting all at the same time. I had to know more, no. I NEEDED to know more. And so, I began to experiment. I instinctually learned to have a near perfect control of the chakra in my body, no doubt a byproduct of being born in the already prodigal body of Orochimaru. With that knowledge, I was able to change the rate and concentration of chakra flowing to different muscles and organs.

I learned that the humans, or more specifically the ninja of this world had one major physiological difference to the average human of my original world.

Chakra, a peculiar mixture physical-kinetic-energy and spiritual energy. Still figuring out what the "real world" equivalent of the spiritual energy is. Willpower? Mental fortitude? Non-material? Whatever. What matters is that I had enough of both to experiment with, even in my early years.

With this potent mixture of energy, I learned that increasing the flow of chakra to a certain organ system increased it's efficiency to an inhuman degree. When I sent a steady, dense wave of chakra through my digestive system right after eating, I was able to process the nutrients of and break down the food that I ate in a measly half and hour, a small fraction of the rough 2 to 3 hours that it would normally take. Also, note to self, make sure to have a toilet or trash can nearby and ready when testing with bodily function enhancements.

On the opposite end of chakra manipulation, when I decreased the flow of chakra through my circulatory system, I was able to make my heart slow to the point that my heart rate was pretty much infinitesimally above zero. Second note: be sure to tell parents when experimenting with vital organ systems. My mom nearly had a heart attack when she got home from a mission to find me sprawled on the floor with a nearly undetectable heartbeat. Whoops.

Anyways, the next two years of my life were a pocket of research-filled bliss, which was cut short on my sixth birthday.

On my sixth birthday, the usually sunny village of Konoha decided that it needed a change of pace and blanketed itself with a thick cover of clouds. On my sixth birthday, I was assigned to a new sensei who went by the name of Hirizen Sarutobi. On my sixth birthday, I was left alone in an empty house that was big enough for three people. On my sixth birthday, my parents were killed.

Like I said earlier, life is bitter. Always.

Standing over my parents' graves this time around was a lot more depressing than it was in my previous life. Probably because these parents actually cared enough to be actively involved in my life.

I stared blankly at the gravestones, which were little more than etched rocks shoved into the dirt.

/Yashagoro and Emi, no clan name, proud shinobi of Konohagakure./

A large, calloused hand rested gently on my right shoulder. I looked up to see a young third Hokage looking sympathetically down at me.

"It's ok to cry, you know."

I just shook my head and continued to stare numbly at the two rocks that represented my parents. He then proceeded to point out the white snakeskin and talked about longevity and adaptation, just like in the manga.

I can see why the original Orochimaru became so fixated on the idea of living forever. Sarutobi really was a good speaker.

The next week, I was introduced to the other two members of Team Sarutobi. A young girl with blonde hair pulled into a messy, yet somehow elegant, ponytail and a young boy with a shaggy head of white hair. Tsunade Senju and Jiraiya. The Slug Princess and the Great Toad Sage. Two thirds of the legendary Sannin. Unfortunately, they had not earned any of those titles yet. Right now, they were just two kids who were my two teammates. One was a stuck-up princess and the other was an obnoxious, immature joker. We sat in a row in front of our sensei as we did our introductions, the same introduction that every sensei and team seemed to do in this village.

"My name is Hiruzen Sarutobi. You may call me Sarutobi-sensei. I like learning new things and teaching youngsters like yourselves. I dislike ignorance and needless cruelty. My immediate goal is to mold you guys into proud ninja of Konohagakure. My overall goal is to ensure the the Will of Fire stays strong and is passed down to future generations. Now, your turn, Tsunade-hime."

She coughed once, very regally, before talking.

"I am Tsunade Senju, heiress of the noble Senju clan. I like my grandfather, my little brother, and gambling with my grandfather. I dislike bad luck and drunks. My dream is to revolutionize iryo ninjutsu and start a field medic program."

I held back a snicker at her dislikes. Tsunade the old drunk was essentially the bane of her younger self. It's crazy what losing everything she loved could do to her. Scary even. That makes me kind of glad that I don't have any connections or bonds as strong as hers.

Sarutobi smiled.

"A strong dream, Tsunade-hime. Make sure not to let go, and you will go far."

Ha. Says the one that ultimately stopped her from achieving her dreams.

"Jiraiya, why don't you go next?"

The white-haired boy grinned and laughed before assuming a strange pose.

Oh god. No. There's no way he was like that this early on.

"I'm surprised you haven't heard of me already. I'm the man whose name echoes all the way from the harsh sands of Suna to the foggy shores of Kiri. I'm-"

I chose then to cut him off.

"The dead last of the academy and a barely passable graduate. You are Jiraiya, a future ninja legend, due to your being on the same team as me."

He scowled at me and looked ready to kill me.. I smirked inwardly before continuing. Time to have a bit of fun.

"Also, you are an incorrigible pervert and an overdramatic child, who still has a log way to go before becoming a man of any caliber."

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" he growled, pouncing at me. This was so cute. The mini-Sannin, the cutest group of legendary ninja... And me. I sidestepped his fist and tapped him on the back of the head. I can't wait for him to get stronger and become the badass Jiraiya that we all know and love.

A glanced over at Sarutobi, who looked back at me expectantly.

"I am Orochinaru, no last name. Up until now, I was homeschooled, so it would make sense for you guys not to have heard of me. If I were to choose one thing to like, it would have to be chakra. If not that, then calligraphy. I dislike being bored and doing nothing. My dream, no, my purpose in life, is to fully unravel the secrets of chakra and gain a full understanding of the human body. Please take care of me."

Sarutobi clapped once before standing back up.

"Good, now that we all know each other, we can begin the final test. I have many responsibilities and I need to make sure you guys are worth my time. I came up with this last night. I call it the-"

Here it comes. The dreaded-

"Bell test. Allow me to explain."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out two small bells.

"Your goal is to obtain one of these two bells for yourself."

"That's not fair! There's only two bells for three of us. What happens to the one of us that doesn't get a bell?" Jiraiya yelled angrily.

"The one of you that fails will be dropped from the shinobi forces overall. Our village is recovering from a war. We have no time for weak fighters in our forces."

"This is bullshit," the future toad sage grumbled, crossing his arms. The Third God of Shinobi simply laughed in response.

"As I was saying. You have until the clock runs out to get a bell. You test... starts..."

He paused and pulled out an old-fashioned alarm clock and cranked it several times. He placed it on the middle log, right next to my head.

"Now."

I wrapped my arms around my two future teammates and jumped off into the the surrounding forest. The two of them kicked off of me right when we landed.

"What's the big idea, Mr. Prodigy?" Jiraiya angrily whispered at me.

"Yeah, trying to get rid of us before the test even begins?" The heiress added on.

I sighed. Dammit. Forgot that they were children... Also, why the hell were they two years older than me? I thought the Sannin were all the same age. What kind of bullshit is this?

I sighed.

"No. I have a plan, for all of us. We need to work together to accomplish anything against Sarutobi-sensei. He's a legendary ninja and one of Nidaime-sama's greatest students."

"If we work together, what are we going to do about the two bells?" Tsunade, ever the voice of reason interjected.

I shrugged. It didn't matter to me. I knew how this story went.

"Then you two can have them. I don't really need to be a ninja to study chakra."

That, and not being a ninja would increase my life expectancy at least tenfold.

"You'd really do that? Even for me?"

Jiraiya began to tear up.

Oh god. Please, no.

Without another word, the larger boy leapt towards me, wrapped his arms around me, and hoisted me off the ground with a twirl.

Dammit.

I quickly pushed him off of me, already feeling a blush creep up onto my pale cheeks.

"I mean, yeah. You two would be better as field ninja than me. I can just join the medical corps, or R&D."

My lies impressed even myself. I mean, I was pulling these alternatives out of my ass. I didn't even know if these divisions even existed yet. What ever. It didn't matter. The chances of the three of us not becoming field ninja were literally nonexistent.

"Now, here's what we're gonna do," I began as they huddled closer to me.

XxxxxxxX

As I planned, none of us ended up being tied up to any logs. Instead, each of us were stood on a log, with Sarutobi standing opposite to us and grinning proudly.

"You three have really impressed me with your teamwork."

Jiraiya grinned unabashedly. Tsunade, smiled brightly, with her hands on her hips. I even allowed a small smirk to sneak onto my face.

It's official. Team Sarutobi, the Sannin, are undoubtedly the greatest team ever, thanks to me, of course.

"However, the three of you still have a lot to work on. Jiraiya, your style is very sloppy and unrefined. Your unpredictability is a good trait, but it will only get you so far. Tsunade, you are very well rounded combat wise, but your punches, while backed with good technique, lack the adequate amount force to cause any real damage."

Tsunade scowled at this.

Oh god. It was his fault. He was the driving force between that woman's monstrous punches.

Damn you Old Man.

"Finally, Orochimaru..."

I straightened up and looked directly at him. I had a lot of shit to work on. I know.

"I would like to start off by congratulating you on finding out the real purpose of this test. Your plan was flawless, and if I were any less skilled, I may have even been defeated by you three. You could try to be more involved in the fight next time, but other than that, good job. You'll go far. I'm sure of this," he finished with a bright smile. "Team Hiruzen, dismissed."

With that parting order, the Sandaime disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the three of us alone in the mostly destroyed training ground.

"So..." Jiraiya began, trailing off.

"We need to build some type of bond between us. Jiraiya and I barely talked in the academy and today was our first time meeting you, Orochimaru," Tsunade cut in, her inner diplomat coming out to take charge. "Any ideas?"

I glanced around at our current states. All of our clothes were ripped and covered in dirt and soot. Jiraiya's snowy hair was practically dyed brown, and Tsunade's elegant ponytail had been undone and matted her shoulders in messy clumps. My own hair was no better; my black, silky hair that I had grown out to appease my mother was now a tangled mess with various singed ends.

"Maybe we should wash up first?" I answered, feeling uncomfortable in the sticky battle hakama plastered to my skin.

"But where should we meet up? I'm still living at the orphanage," Jiraiya said. "And I don't think the matron would like it getting any more crowded, no offense."

"My house is... Not ready for guests at the moment," I said, thinking of my notes of the Naruro timeline scattered throughout my empty house.

The two of us both looked expectantly at Tsunade, who seemed to blush a bit.

"I guess there's nothing wrong with you guys coming over to the Compound. Just don't talk to my grandfather too much. He's a bit... much," she finally said before huffing and leaving the clearing.

"Well, I guess I'll see you there, Orochi-kun," Jiraiya called out, running away before I could show my displeasure at the new nickname.

XxxxxX

An hour later, I had changed into a more casual outfit consisting of blue hakama and black pants. God, I can't wait until more Western styled outfits were introduced to society. All this traditional stuff is too uncomfortable.

As I approached the compound and saw Jiraiya standing outside. He saw me and waved me over. When I reached the entrance, he draped his arm over my shoulder. God damn he was heavy.

"And this is Orochi-kun, I mean, Orochimaru. He's here to see Tsunade-hime with me.

I glared at him and shook myself out of his one-armed embrace before following our escort towards the biggest house of the compound.

At the door, I was greeted by a man with long, graying hair, dressed in the traditional Hokage robes. This was the God of Shinobi, a living legend, who, even out of his prime, was one of the strongest people in all of the elemental nations.

"Ah, you guys must be Tsu-chan's teammates. I'm sure you already know, but my name is Hashirama Senju, and I'm her grandfather," he said, standing up to his full height, towering over both of us. Jiraiya seemed ready to wet his pants from awe, while I felt content to just study the man. "Tsu-chan is finishing up in the shower right now, but would you like to look through some family albums in the meantime? I have hundreds, if not thousands of baby photos of my beloved granddaughter to show you!"

With the speed and grace of a much younger man, the First Hokage bounded across the room.

So this was the God of Shinobi in person. His charisma was much, much more evident beyond the pages of a book. His presence was so imposing, making it nearly impossible to ignore him. He was a true successor to the Sage, or Asura or however that reincarnation thing works. He was-

"Goddammit, gramps! Stop embarrassing me."

Hashirama collapsed to the ground, the cloud of depression hanging over his head almost palpable.

-a total manchild.

"Tsu-chan, please. I just wanted to-"

Tsunade growled again, making the God sink further into his depression.

This is what constitutes as the Strongest Shinobi. Really? Honestly, I feel like all those theories about the ratio of power to sanity in the Naruto universe was true after all.

"Hey guys," Tsunade greeted, casually holding up a hand. "We're in private grounds, so I can be a bit more lax now. Feel free to act the same."

I hummed in affirmation, used to the shift from snobby to casual from on of my long-time exes in my old life. I walked over to the nearest table, glancing at the fuinjutsu notes scattered about. This must be...

"Oh, Orochimaru. Those are my grandmother's fuinjutsu notes. I wouldn't bother with them. They're boring as hell."

Boring as hell? Was this girl daft? These notes were a veritable goldmine of knowledge. Uzumaki seals were supposed to be the greatest and most revolutionary in all of the elemental nations. I didn't bother to follow her and Jiraiya as they went off with Hashirama to who knows where.

I looked back down at the seal. I knew this seal... It looked so similar to one from the manga. It looked like Naruto's.

A seal made to contain a biju.

But it seemed off. Some of characters were either out of place or just plain wrong. It focused too much on trying to filter the malevolence of the chakra and not enough on actually sorting through the unique yin to yang ratio of the biju's chakra. That was it. It was made with incorrect knowledge about the biju.

This seal treated the chakra of a biju as some sort of otherworldly energy. But that wasn't right. If my memory of the manga is correct - and it is - the biju chakra was basically a denser, purer variety of chakra, as it was made from remnants of the Juubi's chakra. The "taint" that everyone worried about was obviously the unique sentience that the foreign chakra possessed, just like the variety from Orochimaru's - my - curse seal.

Absentmindedly, I pulled out a blank scroll and began to copy down Naruto's seal from memory.

It must have been the inner Orochimaru in me wanting to either show off, experiment, or something like that. I added this to the growing list of things of this world to take note of and work on. Wouldn't want to actually become Orochimaru, after all.

I was jolted from my notes when I felt a very powerful and potent source of chakra hovering over my shoulder. I slid my hand into the folds of my robes and pulled out a kunai.

Before I could make contact with my possible assailant, I was stopped by a very solid, yet somehow ethereal binding, which seemed to stimy both my physical and chakra-based strength. Shakily, I looked over my shoulder.

A golden chain, blazing with unrestrained energy was wrapped several times around my forearm.

My gaze wandered over to the chain before it ended on the conjurer. Standing behind me, with a gentle smile that was really anything but, was a woman with graying red hair, tied up in twin buns with two intricate sealing tags hanging off of them. This was the first Jinjuuriki of the Kyuubi, the only woman to actually manhandle both of the great Senju brothers as well as Tsunade. She was Uzumaki Mito, and she just caught me doing what could only be described as copying her private notes.

The chains faded, but were replaced with an even firmer grip on my shoulder. Her smile widened.

Shit.


	3. Our Fate Changes

**Here's chapter three. I also wrote this one on a plane. This tradition will probably have to end as I am now in the US. Overall, I'm surprised at the generally positive response for something that I thought up on a whim. I'm a little scared of how this chapter may change that, but I feel like that every time I post a new chapter. However, I feel like this fear is founded, since I really hate how I ended this chapter, mainly because it wasn't a swear word (spoiler). Anyways, enough rambling, since no one really reads this anyways. Enjoy chapter 3, and please review! Also, I've decided to name the chapters. 40 meme points to whoever figures out where I got the names from.**

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"So, little boy, just what," she paused glancing down at my notes. "Do you think you were doing?"

What to say? What to say?

"Um," was my intelligent response. "Well, you see, I'm kind of studying some fuinjutsu myself and just got a little bit interested when I saw all these notes on this paper. When Tsunade, told me they were yours, I got even more interested and excited to see the notes of a Master and just..."

I trailed off, gesturing to not own notes. I instinctively flinched when she held her hand out.

"Don't worry. I won't bite. Much," she grinned. "Just let me see those notes of yours."

I stepped out of the way, allowing her to hunch over my own notes.

"These are... off," she began. She paused, glanced over at me, then lifted the paper closer to her scrutinizing gaze.

"Wait a minute. This is quite good actually. Though, I have some questions."

"Please, ask away," I said, nearly bouncing on my feet at the chance of getting critique from a bonafide Uzumaki Seal Master. She hummed as she placed my incomplete seal next to yours.

"At the most basic level, our seals both accomplish the same thing: the storage of foreign chakra. However, there is one fundamental difference."

She grabbed a pen and looked over at me, waving the tip of the pen between the two papers.

"Do you mind?"

I could only nod, not trusting my voice.

"The mains difference between yours and mine is..."

She paused to circle the center most kanji of each spiral.

"Mine filters through any harmful or malevolent effects of chakra. Yours, however, focuses on the actual components of the chakra. Why is that?"

So hers was I expected, then.

"Well, I was able to get the gist of your filter based on the blocks around the 'evil' sigil. However - and I mean no offense in saying this - the idea of chakra being evil is a bit preposterous to be honest, and I have been told bedtime stories of the great demons made of chakra, the biju."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her stiffen slightly.

"While these biju have caused widespread destruction and killed many humans, there is one main factor that makes them so dangerous, and it's not their chakra."

She sat down, gesturing for me to sit down opposite of her. I took the seat opposite to her, pulling out another sheet of paper from the seals in my robes. I held my hand out.

"May I?" I said, nodding in silent thanks when she gave me the pen.

"From what I've learned in my experimentations with chakra, is that it, as a basic source of energy, is entirely guided by the will of those with sentience."

I drew a basic diagram of the human body with a circulatory system and digestive system depicted.

"You see, I believe chakra itself is merely a tool. In one of my experiments, I sent heavy flows of chakra through my digestive track."

I thickened the lines representing the digestive system.

"As you can guess, the efficiency of the organ system was multiplied at least tenfold, allowing my body to sort through and store nutrients at a frighteningly rapid pace."

Mito simply nodded, her interest evident in the twinkling of her eyes.

"On the flip side, I lessened the chakra flow to and from my heart, solely with the intention of slowing my heart."

I drew an "X" over the heart before continuing, my instincts from my past life as a teacher urging me to include consistent visual references.

"To my amazement, this was also a success. My heart slowed to the point that my body was forced to enter a state of pseudo-hibernation. Why is that? Why would my own chakra, a source of life-energy, hinder my most essential bodily function? It wasn't chakra exhaustion, or chakra arrhythmia. The amount molded was too small, and objectively, my control is too precise for the flow to be anything but what I wanted it to be. So, I ask again, why?"

"Intent," she responded, understanding dawning on her face.

"Yes. Intent. Like you said, both of our seals were made to store foreign chakra. However, the goal of mine was to convert the 'foreign' chakra into something that can be used by any certain Shinobi. I wanted neutralize, or at least minimize, the negative affects of introducing what is essentially an unknown substance to the human body. However, based on your focus on the sealing of evil, there is some sentience behind whatever chakra you are theoretically working with. And, that's where I was stumped. My knowledge on fuinjutsu itself is nowhere enough to separate the chakra from the sentience of another organism. I know at least some level of this is possible because of the existence of chakra suppressing seals, which essentially blocks a person's intent from reaching the chakra in their body, but with the knowledge I have now, I can only produce an unfinished seal like this," I said, gesturing to my own notes. I looked up at her and almost squealed in joy at what I saw.

She was looking at me contemplatively. There was a glint of something positive in her eyes. Hope, maybe. Was she seriously considering –?

Please, take the bait. Take the bait.

After what felt like decades, she broke eye contact with me, looking back down at the various papers on the table.

"You know, I'm probably breaking years of tradition by saying this," she began.

Please. Do it. Fuck tradition anyways, right?

"But, this is chance that's just too good to pass up. A mindset like yours can do wonders for the field of fuinjutsu, but its overall effectiveness will only be hindered by anything but the best."

I actually smiled at her, unable to hold back my excitement.

"Luckily for you, I _am_ the best," she continued, looking up from our notes. "Tell me, teammate of my granddaughter, what is your name?"

"Orochimaru, no clan name," I stuttered.

"Well then, Orochimaru-kun, how would you like to learn the amazing art of Sealing, far beyond anything you can learn from anyone else?"

Please. Yes. Yes. Yes.

"How would you like to learn fuinjutsu from Uzumaki Mito?" she concluded, looking at me with knowing eyes.

My throat suddenly felt very dry. Why? This was exactly what I wanted. All had to do was say -

"Yes. Um, I mean, of course. I would be honored," I finally said with a slight bow.

Then, she started to laugh.

"Oh, you're so cute, trying to be all prim and proper when you're still so young. Just like my Tsunade-chan."

Much to my annoyance, she reached over and ruffled my hair.

"Well, it's settled then. I'll arrange something with Hiruzen-kun," she said, walking towards the same door that the other three, who I had somehow forgot about until now, had gone through. "Now, let's catch up with your teammates and Sage knows what my idiot of a husband is doing with them."

Without another word, she grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the room.

God dammit woman! Do you have no idea how infuriating to be treated like a child? Also, I was fucking Orochimaru. There's no way that I'm anywhere near cute with serpentine face like this anyways. This lady is freaking delusional.

Oh well. Powerful ninja really were the craziest ones, I swear.

After about five minutes of fruitless struggles, I was met with a very strange sight. Both Tsunade and Jiraiya were running up and down a massive tree with countless branches shooting from various points of the trunk. The Shodaime stood at the base of the tree laughing and jeering at the two. He turned and waved at Mito and me. Wait. What were those marking on his face? Seriously? The man would use the coveted sage mode so carelessly!

"Ah! Mito-chan, Orochi-kun! You're just in time for a game of Tree Tag!"

I could _feel_ the annoyance radiating from Mito. Then, it completely disappeared as she ran towards her husband. He smiled at her, holding his arms out.

His smile was quickly extinguished as Mito's fist plowed into his face. Before he got a chance to do anything else, chains wrapped around his body as he drooped over like a wilting flower, making his sage mode disappear.

He sprung up immediately, and started to whine of all things.

"Mito-chaaaaaan! Why? I just wanted to play with the kids."

"You are a grown man, Senju Hashirama. You should be more responsible Do not abuse your powers like that," she replied curtly.

"But Mito-chan! I was just training them, you see. I was being super responsible. Honest!"

The links of the chain screeched against each other as they tightened.

"Neh, Mito-chan, you're squeezing a bit too hard there."

"Hashirama, if you continue to act like a child, I will treat you like one. You are now in-"

His eyes widened.

"Wait, please! No! I'll be good; I swear!"

"TIME OUT!"

The three of us cringed as the two of them left us alone in the clearing. Truly, legends of the Shinobi world are a sight to behold.

"Sorry about that, guys," Tsunade apologized. "When my parents are out on missions, I'm usually just left alone with them. I mean, my grandma is alright, but grandpa is just... well, you saw what just happened."

"It's fine," I replied. "I'm rather glad I stayed behind, really."

"What were you doing anyways?" Jiraiya asked. "Mito-sama seemed pretty scary, to be honest. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, we just talked a bit, really."

"About what? The seals? She didn't erase your mind or anything?" Tsunade added on. Geez, what was this? 20 questions?

"Yeah. There was no mind-wiping... as far as I can remember."

I shuddered internally. The idea that someone could literally alter memories using seals is pretty scary. What ever, more reason to learn.

"And on top of that, she offered to tutor me too."

I tried to say this as casually as possible, so I wouldn't startle the other two too much. Unfortunately, I failed miserably at accomplishing anything near what I intended.

"WHAT?!" they both cried out simultaneously. I swear these two were probably the inspiration for all of Orochimaru's sound-based ninjutsu.

"Yeah, I'm being tutored in seals. Who knows, maybe I'll become a seals specialist."

I decided not to mention anything about becoming a Master because that was a given with teacher like Mito.

The two just stared at me, Tsunade still looking shocked while Jiraiya adopted a more ponderous stance. Then, he sprung up.

"I've figured it out!" He cried out, beaming with pride. "I know out team positions. Tsunade can be medic and our frontline fighter with that freakishly monstrous strength of hers. Orochi-kun is our strategist and overall nerd based on his planning during that test and his thing with Mito-sama."

I looked over at Tsunade, who was visibly shaking. Oh no. I had to do something, quickly.

"And what about Jiraiya? What's your role?"

I glanced over at the female on our team again, and sighed when I saw that her angry shaking had lessened significantly due to her curiousity.

Nailed it. Now, all Jiraiya had to do was defuse this bomb.

"Ha! That's easy, I'll be team leader and the public face of our team, of course!"

God dammit, Jiraiya.

"I'LL SHOW YOU FREAKISH STRENGTH!"

Even from several feet away, I could feel the chakra radiating off of her arm as she sent Jiraiya literally flying through the clearing and straight through several trees.

Holy crap.

This team really was full of geniuses. Only a couple hours after Sarutobi's suggestion and Tsunade's already made this much progress on her soon-to-be legendary super strength technique.

I winced slightly when I saw her glare flicker over to me.

"Got something to say too, kid?"

"Errr. No, not in the same fashion as Jiraiya anyways."

"Oh?"

"Do you think you can perform that technique again, but without punching anything?"

"What do you mean? The punch _is_ the technique," she replied, slightly confused.

"The thing you do, with your chakra, right before you punch."

She just nodded uncertainly and pulled her arm back. I stared at her, ignoring the blush on her face, as chakra poured out of her core and towards her arm. Then her arm began to tremble.

"Orochimaru, I'm not sure if this is safe," she said, her voice wavering slightly.

I waved off her concerns, as they were ultimately unnecessary. I knew she could do this technique; it was an inevitability.

"It'll be fine, Tsunade-hime. Now, I want you to slowly punch downward."

Once again, she complied. I stepped closer to get a better feel of the chakra as her arm descended and plowed through the ground.

Holy shit. This technique of hers was amazing, to say the least. Fuck anyone who ever discounted Tsunade as either a Sannin or a Hokage. The girl, at the age of eight, was already able to control her chakra precisely enough to send it in intervals of waves along the different muscle groups of her arm as they contracted and expanded. That alone took insane levels of control and timing to even perform to any acceptable degree. And the future Tsunade was able to do this pretty much subconsciously and even more precisely to send through each muscle group down to the very tips of her fingers?

Holy fuck this woman is broken. By physical strength alone, she would be worth at least a hundred Gai's.

I was once again jolted from my awed rumination by a hand on my shoulder.

"Orochimaru, are you ok?" Tsunade asked. "The look on your face was... worrying."

"Oh, right. Yes. I'm fine. Wonderful? Even."

"That's good. So, what do you think of my technique?"

"Your technique is, to say the least, incredible."

She perked up at this.

"The sheer amounts of control and timing required for the flow of chakra is amazing, and your ability to perform it makes all the more impressive."

Her smile widened.

"Tsunade, have you ever tried applying that technique to different parts of your body? Say a leg or even a finger?"

Images of an older Tsunade demolishing the ground with a single stomp and flicking Naruto through buildings with a finger flashed through my head.

"I can't say I have. Right now, my arm is the easiest. I just have the best feel of it compared to any other parts of my body. Why, Mr. Chakra Expert, have any tips or ideas?" she teased.

Now that left me in a position I really didn't want to be in. Would any harm come from helping Tsunade along and accelerating her growth just a little bit? Would that change too much in the future? I mean there was all that butterfly effect stuff after all. And, I didn't want her outshining Jiraiya or anything. But then again, I can just help him out too.

Eh. Screw it. It's more fun this way.

I looked back up at her expectant gaze.

"I guess the main thing you can do is familiarizing yourself with you body. Not in some creepy, coming-of-age kind of way, but on a more anatomical, medical kind of way. Get to know your muscle structure down to the exact functions and actions of the various muscle groups of your body. You'll have to pretty much master this information if you really do want to be a notable ninja medic anyways, so this'll be doubly good for you."

To my surprise, she actually took out a small notepad and began jotting down some notes.

Huh. This Tsunade was really different from the gambling drunk Hokage in the manga. Not bad. Now, I've just got to keep her this way.

"Anything else?"

"Can I see your arm?"

Without a word, she held it out to me. I gave her bicep and forearm experimental squeezes. They were lightly toned, as any ninja-in-training's should be. However, it was a bit soft. Nowhere near sturdy enough to handle the chakra she'd be pumping through it on a semi-regular basis.

I vocalized my thoughts to her, which she took in stride, jotting down more notes before putting the notepad to who knows where.

She slung her arm over my shoulder.

"Y'know something, Orochimaru? You're not so bad."

I just smiled sheepishly at her. Not bothering to attempt the futile task of trying to escape her firm grip.

"Ha! Not bad at all, Orochi-kun!" Jiraiya, who had returned from his involuntary trip through the woods, looking overall unharmed. Seriously, how strong were these guys already? Screw what anyone else says; the older generation is the best. Honestly, godlike strength and control for Tsunade, incredible reserves and endurance for Jiraiya, and chakra hypersensitivity and otherworldly knowledge - does that really count? - for me. The Sannin were really destined for greatness. We had no choice at this point.

I sagged in relief when the weight was released from my shoulder and immediately sprung into action when I saw Tsunade's temper, and chakra, bubbling up again.

I quickly jumped in between the two, wincing when I felt the chakra released from Tsunade's halted fist.

I glanced over at Jiraiya, who was giving me a tearful thumbs-up, then over at Tsunade, who had crossed her arms with an annoyed expression.

"Let's not test the limits of Jiraiya's natural endurance."

The shaggy haired boy nodded emphatically at this. I smirked.

"We can do that another time. During training, preferably."

He collapsed with a sorrowful moan as Tsunade cracked her knuckles with a grin. I pulled Jiraiya back to his feet before clapping my hands once and smiling.

"Now, I believe we were supposed to be bonding today, right? How does dinner sound? Any suggestions?"

"Oh I have the perfect idea! We can go get ramen!" Jiraiya exclaimed. "I want extra narutomaki in mine!"

I guess that explains a lot about why Naruto was Naruto. Man, everyone has some kind of addiction or obsession in this world. For once, I feel like I'm the only normal one this time, and that worries me.

I watched as my two teammates ran off into the village proper. Well, Jiraiya was running with an annoyed Tsunade chasing after him.

This was it. The birth of a team. The birth of a legend.

Team Hiruzen would be the greatest team ever, without any fancy bloodline jutsu or reincarnation bullshit. I'll make sure of it.

Believe it.


	4. Destiny's Embrace

Well, Team Hiruzen officially lasted 4 years as a genin unit under Elite Jonin and Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. I guess one of the many perks of having the Hokage as your mentor means that he can give out field promotions like it's nobody's business. Anyways, the three of us are chunin, quite possibly the youngest chunin squad in Konoha's current forces.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to go back on my previous declaration of making Team Hiruzen the best, since Team Hiruzen has now been replaced, much to Jiraiya's chagrin, with Team Tsunade. His whines were said to be so pitiful that they fended off the contingency of Kumo spies poking at our border, since their cover was blown by the giggles that escaped from their general vicinity. He'll just have to deal with it until Hanzo gives us our new name, whenever that is. 10 years living in this universe and I still have no clue how all of the flashbacks melded together.

Our promotions also lead to us splitting off into our different career paths, with Tsunade pursuing a future in iryo ninjutsu and taijutsu, Jiraiya already making use of his inhuman durability and creativity in offensive ninjutsu, and finally me going into the least combat-oriented field of jutsu and fuinjutsu research and development. I mean, sure I was all but living in the same compound as Tsunade with Mito forcibly evicting me from my parents' home since my living on the opposite side of the village gave her "too much of an inconvenience for someone of her stature."

Spoiled brat.

Anyways, I guess I had finally reached the point of the Naruto universe in which Hashirama's age was finally catching up to him – a fact that other villages surely took note of, based on the would-be assassins found dead, killed by our villages new seal-based defenses.

So, one could imagine my surprise when I returned to the compound from a bimonthly team dinner with Tsunade and Jiraiya to find that the guards scattered around the entrance with their chests ripped open. All things considered, it was pretty fucking gross.

I felt Tsunade tense beside me. She was probably a lot closer to those guys than I was anyways. I walked forward, trying to ignore the fact that she had yet to make a move.

"Tsunade, go check on Nawaki and your parents," I snapped, finally breaking the silence. "I'll go see if the Old Man's still kicking."

Of course, I already knew that he was still fighting, based on the burst of extremely powerful nature chakra flowing from the forests around the compound. I sighed to myself when I felt Tsunade's chakra disappear towards the concentration of chakra opposite to the raging fight in the forest. I should've taken account Hashirama's "protagonist luck" when designing the defenses of the compound with Mito-sensei.

What I saw in the forest was nothing short of awe-inspiring. The ground was torn asunder by unnaturally grown trees that created a splintery lattice of branches that impeded most outside involvement. Fortunately, I existed outside of this category. I pressed my middle and ring finger to the butt of my palm, triggering the storage seal planted there. With a miniscule burst of chakra – which I will have to work on eliminating – a short, double-edged jian appeared in my hand. This was the true Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, the divine sword supposedly plundered by the god Susano'o from the corpse of Yamata-no-Orochi.

Of course, this story is mostly bullshit. Personally, I know nothing about the existence of any gods, but this sword was plundered from the corpse of Yamata, who was the first White Snake Sage of the snake summoning clan. The weapon was transferred from one samurai to the next, before its last wielder was killed by a young shinobi, me. Now, all I have to do is find out were Ryūchi Cave is so that I can properly form a contract with the snakes. I'm pretty sure this weapon will gain me a fair amount of brownie points with the chakra using ophidian. Until then, I'll have to keep this weapon a secret.

Back to my quest to intrude on a fight that is most likely out of my league. I pumped a small amount of chakra into the sword, making it extend and shatter the branches in my path. I continued through the forest until I reached the edge of the clearing that contained the clashing chakra signatures. Hashirama was at one end of the clearing, wearing his traditional red armor and his sage-mode employed. Opposite to him stood a giant of a man with tan skin and what stiches all over his bare chest. This was Kakuzu, the Zombie of Taki, who apparently already had access to jiongu.

The two shinobi legends paused their fight to see what poor soul had intruded on their clash. Hashirama looked at me with a scared expression, while Kakuzu looked annoyed at the interruption. He mumbled something at Hashirama, who didn't have time to react as the Zombie dashed away from him and towards me.

I'd have to thank Hashirama and Mito for the asinine "games" that they put me through for the last 4 years, since the reaction speed gained from them are probably the only thing to have saved my life. I called forth Ame-no-Murakumo again, which I noted to myself to start referring to as Kusanagi, and stabbed it into the ground. I pushed a large amount of chakra into it, making it expand exceptionally quickly, propelling me into the sky and away from the explosion of dirt that Kakuzu caused with one punch. Within a blink of my eye, the Taki Shinobi was already halfway up the length of my blade, his fist cocked back for another vicious punch. Fortunately, Hashirama regained his senses and wrapped at least a thousand branches around the assassin's body, impeding his attempt at taking my life.

Without another thought, I frantically pushed more chakra into the blade, fueled by the intent to shrink. The legendary weapon lived up to its status by responding to my command faster than I could process what had happened. I was back on the ground, with arms that felt like they had been ripped from their sockets.

"What are you doing here, Orochimaru?" Hashirama cut in, with a tone more serious than any I had ever heard from him.

"I was just trying to help. Tsunade is already tending to the rest of your clan, so I figured that I could help you with whoever caused that scene at the gates."

"And why would you risk your life so stupidly?"

" I could say the same to you, old man."

Any witty response Hashirama had was cut short by the cracking of wood.

"Alright, you're going to do exactly as I tell you from here on out," Hashirama commanded. "Now jump to your left."

I did so as Hashirama jumped to his right, both of us dodging Kakuzu's descending attack. I glanced over at Hashirama and paled to see that he was no longer in sage mode.

"Do you think you can distract him for a couple seconds, Orochimaru?" I heard Hashirama call from the other side of the dust cloud. I nodded to myself before using a small futon jutsu to clear the dust and dashed towards the enemy Jonin with my arms reinforced with earth chakra.

He obviously wasn't expecting my aggressive maneuvers, as he buckled beneath my punch. I quickly jumped away and saw his strange red and green eyes locked on me, filled with a mix of hatred and confusion.

"That's an interesting technique, boy. Would you like a preview of what the complete version looks like?"

He once again dashed at me, his right hand darkened by the pure concentration of chakra. I once again employed my knock-off version, concentrating them around my hands as well, as I brought my hands up to catch his punch. To both of our astonishment, I was actually able to stop him long enough to pulled back again and summon an entrapment of rocks to hold him in place.

As I expected, he quickly broke out and was once again engaged with an uneven trade of blows with me. I was continually pushed back until I was back at the entrance to the clearing that I had created earlier. I smirked at him, which caused him to growl angrily at me. His anger faded into confusion as he looked down and saw an intricate array of seals that held his feet in place. I fell to my knees due to exhaustion. I barely had time to react to Kakuzu detaching himself from his lower legs as he lunged towards me with a vicious punch.

I pushed as much earth chakra as I could into my left arm and braced for the impact of his punch. He quickly switched tactics and grabbed my wrist. I didn't even have to time to scream as I felt the oddly familiar feeling of losing an arm. My forearm was cleanly torn off by Kakuzu's savage jerk. He grinned down at me with his Glasgow-esque smile and threw my arm to the side. Before he could finish me off, massive barbs of wood exploded from his chest and flung him far into the sky. I had no doubts that he survived that, and was most likely already on his way back to his village to become an exile.

I felt a strong pair of arms pull me up and saw a worried Hashirama looking down at me.

"Didn't you hear me, Orochimaru? I said that I was ready. Why'd you keep fighting him?"

"Guess I was just to into the fight," I slurred back.

Before he could make a mad dash for the compound, I wormed my way out of his grip and gasped in pain as my back hit the ground. There was no way in hell that I would let an entire clan of people see me in such a piteous state.

"No," I said as he reached down to pick me up. "I'll get my arm. You get Tsunade, Jiraiya, Sensei, and Mito. No one else sees."

His eyes softened as he struggled between pragmatism and compassion. Fortunately, he was as compassionate as he was in the manga and disappeared in the direction of the compound. I crawled back through the clearing and saw my mangled arm at the side of the sealing array that had previously trapped Kakuzu. I smirked when I saw that twin mounds of mud had replaced his disembodied legs. I propped myself up against the mud, cradling my dismembered arm to my chest, and applied a stasis seal to my wound to prevent bleeding out. I barely had to wait for 10 seconds, as I felt four very familiar chakra signatures surround me.

"Hey guys," I managed to force out. I grunted in pain as two bodies crash into me.

"AAGGHHH!" I cried out as I felt my crushed ribs being crushed further. "YOU FUCKING IDIOTS! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M INJURED!?"

Jiraiya had the decency to appear sheepish, while Tsunade simply looked away and stole quick, worried glances when she thought I wasn't paying attention.

An awkward silence blanketed the ruined clearing as the adults observed us brats. This silence was really starting to annoy me.

"So, are you gonna fix me up or not, Tsunade? I don't think I can keep pumping chakra into this seal for much longer," I drawled out, waving my stump around. I was expectedly correct about my self-prognosis, as I felt the flow of my chakra slow significantly, despite my intent.

I grunted as my I experienced the heat of a thousand suns prick at my open wound. Tsunade quickly dropped to her knees, her hands aflame with the soothing, verdant green chakra of whatever that healing hand jutsu is called.

Note to self: learn the basics of iryo ninjutsu.

She stood back up, showing that she had done as much as she could for the moment. I gave her a strained smile and looked at the sad stump jutting from my shoulder. I tightened my grip on the mangled remains of my forearm, trying to remember the bullshit method of limb replacement from the manga. It involved something with Hashirama. Maybe his sage mode mokuton? It was worth a shot.

"Hey, Hashirama," I called out, as Jiraiya helped me onto my feet, steadying me as a wobbled slightly. The aging legend looked over at me, a confused expression on his face. "Wanna help me with an experiment?"

He must have seen the dangerous glint in my eye that apparently showed up when I was going to do something dangerous, because he slowly edged away.

"C'mon, it'll be fine. I'll also need Mito-shishou's help as well. Oh! And a cleaner space to work on. This dirt isn't doing anything good in terms of infections."

Jiraiya grinned and slung me over his shoulder, like a sack of flour. I didn't see a need to complain about the rather indignant position that I found myself in, so I chose to ignore the rude giggling and continue with my instructions.

"Shishou, I need you to place a more powerful stasis seal on this," I said, waving my mangled forearm around. "I can still feel some of my chakra flowing through it and I'd rather not lose such a vital part of my experiment due to my obvious shortcomings in fuinjutsu."

I inwardly smirked at Tsunade's shudder.

"Are you going to tell me more about this 'experiment of yours, or are you going to keep me guessing?" Mito replied snidely as she pulled out some portable chakra-sensitive paper and an inkbrush.

"No, I think it's more fun this way."

She grumbled something about disrespectful brats as she grabbed my detached arm from me angrily.

"Can you not act like your fatal wound is just a joke?" she said angrily as she threw my arm, which I barely caught, back at me.

I groaned at this. Were people in the past so anal about everything? I vaguely remember people moving on from Naruto and Sasuke's prosthetics like they were no big deal.

"It's fine. We're almost at the compound; I can probably start up my experiment now. Hey, Hokage-sama."

Both my sensei and my savior looked over at me with smug looks. I groaned in annoyance again. Geez, these smartasses.

"Fine, Shodaime-sama. Do you think you can draw in some of that nature chakra for me? Also, channel a bit into this."

I threw my arm at the back of his head. To my persisting annoyance, he caught it without looking.

When we entered the compound, it was evident that the First Hokage's latest scuffle was no secret, since a rather large crowd amassed at the nearest entrance from Hashirama's latest forest. How embarrassing.

Sensing my discomfort, my entourage huddled around Jiraiya and me, somewhat hiding me from view. I ignored the urge to vomit as they sped up their pace, making Jiraiya's movements – and by connection, my perception – bounce around more.

Once we were in the room that was usually purposed as Mito's fuinjutsu learning dojo, the aforementioned dojo master sent out a pulse of dense chakra, blocking any potential eavesdroppers.

Jiraiya set me down on the mat, and was promptly pulled to the edge of the room by Hiruzen. I gestured to Mito, who gave my arm back to me. I awkwardly fumbled through my kunai holster strapped to my left leg while clamping the dismembered appendage in my armpit.

Carefully, I shaved off a thin layer of my epidermis, much to my spectators' disgust. I handed the piece of flesh to Hashirama, who was incredibly still maintaining his sage mode and took it calmly.

"Can you please channel your sage chakra into this? Focus on the flesh, and not whatever trees you usually think about."

The Shodaime simply nodded and focused his potent chakra into the slab. To my disappointment, it began to harden and gnarl until a twisted chunk of wood.

Damn. Was it his dna or his chakra? I forgot. Man, I knew I should've cared more about the life-saving bullshit in the manga.

I sighed.

"Well, that was a failure," I grumbled. "I guess I'll just let this thing heal naturally then."

I glared down at the bandaged stump, trying to make it regrow through sheer willpower.

"Sarutobi-sensei. I request medical leave until I find myself back up to field condition."

"Are you sure? No need to strain yourself, Orochi-kun," my teacher responded. "I can just permenantly transfer you to a non-combat division like the Seal Corps with Mito, or Research and Development. I know how much you like your experiment."

I glanced around the room, and scowled. Those stupid fucking pitiful eyes were back. And people wonder why I snapped in my past life.

"No, I'll just have to edit my original plans. Just a bit. I'll just extend my stay in research and development. I'll learn how to form one-handed seals, too. Then, I'll be right back out in the field with Jiraiya and Tsunade in no time."

I shifted onto my feet, and almost stumbled before catching myself. I shrugged off my teammates' supportive hands and shambled towards the door.

"Shishou, can you seal my arm for me? I'll be back for it later."

With that, I shut the door behind me. Once I was alone, I looked back down at what remained of my left arm.

Of course I lose my arm again. I was never destined to have two arms, no matter who I am, or who's body I control. I ignored the tears flowing down my face.

Goddammit.


	5. Beyond that Black Door

**It's actually been so long since I've uploaded anything that all my saved documents have expired lol. Feel free to point out any grammatical errors in reviews or pm's.**

I'm not sure how long it's been since I've actually left the personal lab room that Hiruzen-sensei provided for me – one of the many perks granted to me as one of the Hokage's treasured students. It had to have been two years, minimum.

I formed a one-handed seal, a skill that took me about six months to use proficiently, and relished in the familiar pull of chakra through my pathways. I let out a pant of slight exhaustion as the mass of chakra I pushed outward solidified into a Shadow Clone. The clone stared at me obediently, his reptilian eyes gleaming with the same intelligence as mine. Without saying a word, he picked up the brush and dipped it into the inkwell with his only arm.

He stared at me insistently, gesturing down at the metal table between us. I silently placed my uncovered arm on the unnaturally cool and smooth surface, trying my hardest to ignore the familiar smirk on my – his – face. I instead opted to watch as he stroked, with the skill that I imparted into him, intricate glyphs and symbols into my arm. My gaze roved up my arm, taking note of the compressed seals that I had other clones apply to my flesh with the same chakra-bound ink.

I grimaced when my clone jabbed into my skin a bit harder than usual and sent him a withering glare, which was met with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry," he muttered insincerely, not that I really cared anyway.

"It's fine," I grunted back, in the exact same tone and voice.

I shuddered at the similarity between us. Honestly, I'm still baffled by how little any of the ninja in the manga were phased when creating and meeting completely identical beings. My ponderings were broken with 3 crisp raps on the door.

"Finish up, quickly. I have to dispel you soon," I ordered.

"Yeah, yeah," my clone replied, quickly adding some finishing strokes to the seal on the middle of my forearm. He gently placed the brush onto the table before looking back up and nodding at me. I sent a quick pulse of chakra through my arm, watching with persisting awe as the symbols swirled and compressed into a stylized wisp of fire. I brought my hand back up, dispelling him, grimacing at the small influx of information that flooded my mind.

I opened the door to greet the gently grinning face of my former teacher. I smiled back at one of the few people who still visited me regularly.

"Hello, sensei," I said pleasantly.

"Orochimaru," he greeted with a smile and a nod.

"How are you? It's rare that you ever invite anyone into your lair," he continued jokingly.

"I'm doing quite well, all things considered," I replied waving around my stump of a left arm.

His eyes flashed with slight discomfort and guilt before he chuckled good-naturedly at me. I am still in awe of this aging legend's acting prowess.

"So, what did you need?"

"I'll tell you once the others arrive," I replied. "This is quite a momentous occasion, after all. This hermit is finally leaving his cave."

Sarutobi smiled – a genuine one, this time – back at me before taking the empty seat across from me.

"Would you like some tea, sensei?" I said as I pulled two small ceramic cups from one of the various shelves in front of me.

"An aging man like me is never in a position to decline a good cup of tea," he replied, ruffling through the fuinjutsu notes I left on the table.

I hummed in response as I placed a kettle filled with ionized water on a piece of paper with a complex array of symbols surrounding the kanji for "fire." With a small pulse of chakra, the paper came to life, quickly bringing the water to a gentle simmer. With practiced ease, I spooned several scoops of tealeaves into the water and watched with persisting wonder as the herbs danced in the clear liquid, dying it a gentle green. I placed each cup on the table as the leaves continued to steep.

Sarutobi inhaled contentedly as I filled each cup with the tea. We sat together in a comfortable silence for several minutes until I sensed several powerful chakra signatures descending the stairs to my underground lab. I sighed as the sound of boisterous arguing intensified. There goes my peace and quiet. Hiruzen chuckled before taking another long sip of tea.

"I'll go let them in."

I languidly got out of my seat before barely opening the door. Through the crack, I saw the unfortunately familiar site of Tsunade punching Jiraiya, who took his punishment with a slightly perverse smile. Mito stood behind them, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"If you guys don't settle down, I'm only letting Mito-shishou in."

My teammates scoffed at me.

"I'm not bluffing. I can, and will, remove your chakra from the extremely complex seal allowing people into my lab without combusting spontaneously. It's an extremely painful process."

Mito smiled approvingly at me as Jiraiya and Tsunade straightened themselves out. I smirked at the three before opening the door fully, stepping aside to allow them passage. Mito marched past the two younger ninjas, taking the seat, and tea, that had originally been mine. Damn hag, acting like she owns everything.

I channeled some chakra into the ground, causing another table and 3 more chairs to appear from the seals covertly decorating my floor. Once the three of us were seated, I snatched my notes from Hiruzen, who smiled good-humoredly at me.

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I actually invited you all here for once," I announced in reply to the four questioning faces staring back at me. "Normally, I believe that only Sensei and Shishou are entitled to what I'm about to tell you."

I continued talking before my two teammates could interject.

"However, out of respect and some sense of camaraderie, I would rather my two closest friends find out directly from me."

I got up and turned around, looking through the notes, most of which consisting of maps, that I had taken back from my old team leader.

"As sensei probably already knows," I gave a sideways glance at my teacher, who simply smirked back at me. "I believe I have found the location of the Ryūchi Cave that houses the Snake Summon Clan. That being said, I would like to request an extended leave to find this location, preferably alone."

"Now wait just a moment!" Jiraiya interjected, jumping out of his chair. "4 years of limited contact and you suddenly want to leave for who knows how long?"

"Please, settle down Jiraiya," Sarutobi suggested, though it was more of a command. "I'm sure Orochimaru has reasons for not wanting to bring along his precious teammates."

Damn old man, always a step ahead of me.

"Sensei is right," I continued. "With you two being the head summoners of the Slug and Toad Clans, I have my doubts that the Snakes would be receptive to your intrusion on their territory. I'm afraid I'm going to have to exclude you to avoid any possible animal warfare."

"A agree with your judgment, to a degree," Sarutobi began. "However, I cannot allow you to venture away from the village for so long alone. It's not that I doubt your abilities at all, but this is more my tendency to care a bit too much for my dear students."

I simply nodded in acquiescence.

"Meet me at my office at 0800 tomorrow. You will meet your partner for this mission then and will depart at your convenience. I expect regular reports from you," he ordered, tapping on a seal sewn into his inner sleeve. It was a seal of my design, allowing for the instant relay of small notes through complex special distortions. He glanced over at Mito, who still hadn't said a word. "Come Jiraiya, Tsunade, there's still other work that needs to be done."

The two got up and followed at him. Jiraiya gave me a silent thumb-up, while Tsunade sent me a silent look that could only be interpreted as "we will talk later," before leaving. I turned my back to the door with a sigh as I sent another pulse of chakra through the ground, making the extra table and chairs disappear in a puff of smoke. I sat across from Mito, studying her facial expression.

Mito had, as she did in the manga, aged with the grace expected from those of the Uzumaki clan. At the age of 54, she looked to be only in her late 20's, with the only noticeable difference in her appearance being the slight darkening of her hair. Her eyes still retained the radiant youth of other shinobi and kunoichi of my own generation, though this was evidently fading, especially after Hashirama's death. Her blank expression faded into a gentle smile as I took the seat opposite to her.

"That's some damn fine seal-work you've got running this place," she finally said, eliciting a small smile from me.

"Well, I had a damn fine teacher," I replied curtly.

"My, my. Aren't I a bit old for you, Orochi-kun? What is an aging widow to do at the tenacious proclivities of her young student?" she teased.

I scowled in response.

"Reel it in, shishou. I'm not even a third your age yet," I snapped back.

She simply reached over and ruffled my hair, much to my annoyance.

"There's that charming reaction I was looking for."

Her gaze softened before she continued.

"You know I see you as my son, despite our large age gap."

I snorted. Back in my world, such a gap was generally closer to the norm.

"I mean it. Please stay safe out there. I do love you, y'know?"

I gave her a miniscule smile that I knew only she would be able to notice.

"My, my. Should I be worrying for my chastity now? I am but an unknowing Hikaru Genji* in the wiles of a clever old fox."

She simply smiled back at me before bopping me gently on the head.

"Clever little brat," she said as she got up. "Come back in one piece, won't you? I'd hate to resurrect you just to kill you again."

With that said, she glided out of the room, closing the door behind her. I sighed and channeled more chakra into the ground, replacing the table and chairs with a small bed. I think I got enough done for today to actually get a full night's worth of sleep.

At exactly 0757, I stood before my sensei and leader. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I awkwardly shuffled my feet and shifted the pack hanging over my over my right shoulder. The Sandaime looked up from his paperwork and chortled.

"Relax, Orochimaru," Hiruzen finally said. "You're meeting a new person. It's your own fault you've become so socially inept."

I glared at the aging man and readied a retort that was cut off by the three crisp taps on the door.

"Finally, someone who actually uses the door like a civilized person," the Hokage grumbled to himself, mentioning disrespectful students and Uzumaki's.

I turned to see a young adult, about the age of my teammates, who, similar to Jiraiya, had an unruly mess of grey, pulled into a messy ponytail. He looked back at me with half-lidded eyes. While he exuded a presence of nonchalance, his chakra betrayed his true nature. It felt extremely sharp, like a well-treated blade, and if I wasn't just imagining things, it actually felt _white_ , if that made sense. There was no doubt in my mind; this man was no one other than –

"–Hatake Sakumo, your partner for this misson."

The teen gave me an easygoing smile accompanied with a playful salute. Tentatively, I smiled back at him.

"Ready to go when you are, Orochimaru-san."

I stared back at him for several more minutes before responding.

"Do you think you can meet me at Training ground 3? I'd like to get to know my companion for my trip, and I heard a spar is the best way to do so."

Sakumo paused before nodding emphatically. He disappeared from the office in a flash of white chakra. I smiled to myself at the opportunity to gauge the ability of someone who was said to have been on par with the Manga Sannin in his prime.

"Sensei, can you do me a favor and tell Mito-shishou?" I said as I climbed the windowsill. "Oh, and Jiraiya and Tsunade too."

This'd be a good opportunity for them to see the practical application of my training.

Both my opponent and audience were already present by the time I arrived.

"Were you all really that anxious to see what I've accomplished these last couple years?" I asked, rhetorically, of course. I exhaled before continuing. "We fight until first blood."

I positioned myself directly opposite to Sakumo, whose hand was twitching by the handle of his tantō. I gave him a bow, which he returned. Then, he disappeared.

I pressed my middle finger to my palm, triggering a familiar storage seal. I smiled as the familiar weight of Kusanagi appeared in my hand with little to no chakra bursts. I brought the double-edged sword behind me, blocking Sakumo's sneak attack, much to his surprise.

"I am still a sensor, Hatake-san," I drawled out, dispelling the sword with a listless wave of my arm. Before he had a chance to escape, I slapped my palm on his chest, making him fall to the ground thanks to the weighted seal that spread from my strike. Before the seal ran out of chakra, I made some distance between us and held my hand out.

"There's no doubt that you already know this, but I am rather proficient in seals."

Ink quickly coagulated in front of me into the form of a complex array of seals.

"That of course, means that I have access to a good amount of shortcuts for more temporally taxing techniques."

Several snakes made of fire lanced from the array, bombarding Sakumo's still prone form. I frowned when I felt two identical chakra signatures rushing at me. I stepped back as two clones of the future White Fang burst from the thick forest, arms crackling with white surges of electricity.

"Raiton: Raikyōgeki!" the clones shouted in unison. I slammed my palm into the ground, making the earth beneath the clone to my right shoot up in a pointed pillar, impaling the clone. I shielded my eyes when it burst in a flash of white lightning. While my eyes were still closed, I ducked and sent an uppercut towards the direction of the other clone. I sunk into the ground with a quick application of Moguragakure no Jutsu to the dirt beneath me.

While underground, I sent out pulses of chakra to try to find the real Sakumo as I sifted through the dirt. To my surprise, the earth above me split open with a vicious crackle as Sakumo burnt a path to me using a focused Gian. With a groan, I held my hand up again, this time in a fist. The seal on my second knuckle lit up as it absorbed the beam of lightning. Sending chakra to my feet, I burst from the remaining dirt and sent a vicious punch to Sakumo's surprised face.

He twisted mid air a kicked me roughly in the midsection, sending me higher into the air. I grunted in pain as I sent light bursts of wind to position myself directly above him. I channeled more chakra into the weight seals on my legs. I plummeted into him, deactivating the seals and pushing off moments before we made contact with the ground.

I landed on my feet and barely leaned back in time to dodge the white chakra infused shuriken careening in my direction. I sprung back up and doubled over in pain when the two projectiles I had just dodged somehow turned around mid-flight and lodged themselves firmly in my lower left trapezius.

I rolled my shoulders using chakra to force the physics-defying stars out of my shoulders. I glanced around, noticing the slight glint of light off of the nearly invisible stands of metal coming from the trees. Ninja wires. How interesting. I glanced over at Sakumo, who was smiling amiably back at me. Maybe I was a little cocky.

"Well played, Hatake-san."

Tsunade immediately rushed at me, her hands already glowing bright green. She grimaced slightly at the blood, but healed me regardless. I thought to the Tsunade introduced with crippling hemophilia and added preventing that to my list of tasks for this life. I glanced over at Sakumo, who was overall unblemished, save for some minor singed clothing.

"I'll see you at the village gate tomorrow, Hatake-san."

"I look forward to this trip, Orochimaru-san, and please, call me Sakumo."

"Sure, sure."

We shook hands and began to part ways before an audible growl rang from my stomach. Might as well have one last team dinner before I leave…

I smiled sheepishly at Sakumo.

"Would you like to get dinner with my team and me?"

Behind me, I heard Jiraiya whisper something about growing up so fast.

Cheeky bastard.

 ***Main character of "The Tale of Genji," in which the titular character slowly falls in love with the woman who raised him. A bunch of other stuff happened too.**

 **As much as I hate to do this, a lot of Jutsu names a rather silly in English, so I opted to use the Japanese names. Here's a list of translations, in case anyone is curious.**

 **Raiton: Raikyōgeki – Lightning Release: Lightning Pincer Attack**

 **Moguragakura – Hiding Like a Mole Technique**

 **Gian: False Darkness**


	6. A Daydream of Light and Darkness

**Alright, here's chapter 6.**

Honestly, traveling with Sakumo wasn't terrible at all. I would hazard to say that it was enjoyable. The guy was as laid back as anyone would perceive him to be, despite his chakra constantly being on edge. He was a good conversationalist, knowing exactly when to talk and what to talk. To be honest, I'm a bit jealous of his knowledge of social cues and the application of said knowledge. Most importantly, we didn't run into any major snags, meaning that neither Sakumo nor I were cursed with the protagonist curse. Well, not yet, anyways.

This was a massive shift from my previous missions with team Tsunade, which consisted of Jiraiya or Tsunade getting sidetracked or some random ambush or assassination attempt. This lead to very inefficient trips that were, while much shorter in terms of physical distance, ended up taking twice as long as they should have been. This also directly contrasted with my current trip, which consisted of Sakumo and I traveling at a brisk pace during the day and well into the night, with five hour rests.

To sum up our thankfully uneventful trip, we made it, in five days, to a massive mountain range, with the one directly in front of us slightly darker than the ones around it. I glanced at Sakumo, who smirked back at me.

"So this is where it is, Orochimaru-san?"

"Yeah," I replied blandly, roving my hands over the dark stone to try to find a way in.

"Did it really take us five days to get to the only mountain range in the Land of Rice Paddies, which at the pace we were going, should have only taken one day, two days tops? How strange," he said, looking at me expectantly.

I could feel the smugness oozing off of him as I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

"I admit I'm being a bit paranoid, despite us being in relatively friendly territory. You just never know if someone is following you, no matter how skilled you are at perception," I drawled, thinking of the monsters from the manga like Zetsu or Obito.

He stepped next to me.

"So what are you doing now?"

I grimaced. Damn snakes, being so secretive.

"Trying to find a way in. I'm one hundred percent certain that this is the correct mountains, but the snakes have sealed themselves off ever since my father died."

"Oh, right. I've heard stories. If your father was the previous owner of the snake contract, why didn't you just inherit the rights when he died?"

He bit his thumb and slammed his hand to the ground, creating a sizeable cloud of smoke. When it cleared, an average-sized white wolf was nestled next to him, rubbing its snout into his hand.

"That's how I got mine. I thought all summons worked that way."

I shrugged as he whispered something to his wolf and dispelled it.

"Snakes don't work that way, based on my fathers notes. Granted, this whole process would have been much simpler had he granted me access to the contract scroll before his demise."

Sakumo stepped away and sat on the ground away from me, leaning on a stump.

"Sorry, I just felt that this might turn into a lecture," he said, grinning at me. I scowled back. Smug prick.

"As I was saying, my father's passing changed things with the clan. I was too young at the time, with not enough merits for my father to even think about recommending me as a next generation contract holder. This should show how selective the snake clan is. With his death, the leader, or leaders, of the clan called back the scroll, as there was no human they saw fit to sign it. So, that's why we're out here, with me groping at rocks for some kind of secret entrance."

Sakumo laughed and leaned his head back. To anyone without the slightest hint of perception or combat training, he looked incredibly vulnerable. Fortunately, I was not one of those people. His chakra was still sharp and extremely tense, despite his lax demeanor. I knew that he was still watching my back, which was a good feeling, I suppose. I turned my attention back to the stone face, sending small probes of chakra to various points. I'd have to harvest some of this stone for myself at a later date. It was extremely conductive of my chakra.

After about another hour or so of investigation, I had more or less explored every nook and cranny of this side of the mountain, which was were the entrance was, according to my late father's hints. I thought back to the manga to remember what the various summon clans valued. The toads valued a yakuza-esque loyalty, based on how the toad bosses called their contracted humans subordinates. I honestly have no clue what the slugs valued, but it seemed to be something along the lines of compassion or understanding since their contracted humans were, for the most part, medics.

The snakes were different. The manga always painted them in a negative light, being contracted to heartless, villainous characters like Kabuto, the other me, or even Sasuke. I don't believe the snakes were really evil, however. Such a concept for a race was no doubt just stylized to illustrate a more attractive moral spectrum. In reality, all of these summon clans were probably still very neutral. Based on Manda, the snakes valued sacrifice, so I had to sacrifice something to get in; that much was obvious.

I doubt money would do me any good, and ninja tools were of no use to them, even with Kusanagi being one of their treasures. Well, it was worth a shot. With a swipe of my arm, Kusanagi appeared in my grasp. I stabbed the sword through the stone, but, as I expected, nothing happened. Maybe they wanted something more drastic. I stabbed the sword into the ground and summoned a shadow clone with a one handed seal. I nodded at my clone, who grimly nodded back at me.

Wordlessly, he grabbed the sword and slashed at me in a wide arc, spraying my blood over the stone. I winced in pain and dispelled the clone, catching Kusanagi at its apex and dispelling it. Sakumo sprung from his resting spot and bounded towards me.

"What the hell are you doing?" he said, panic tinting his usually calm drawl.

"I believe the snakes want sacrifice, and I couldn't very well ask you to let me attack you," I replied, shrugging off my tunic to reveal an already closing wound. "Besides, it was a calculated and very light wound, done only to draw blood."

Our conversation was cut short when the blood splatters seeped into the mountain and created a complex array on the ground beneath me.

"I believe my sacrifice was adequate. Please keep watch for me, Hatake-san."

He simply stared at me, still surprised as I felt foreign chakra tether itself onto me.

"Hopefully, I'll be back within a day."

With that said, smoke filled my vision, clearing to reveal a wall of red stone, covered in moss. It was littered with various arched window-like openings. The lighting was sparse, so much so that I could only see darkness within the structure. I stepped through the largest arch and waited.

Hissing echoed around me as a disembodied voice began to speak.

"We know of you, son of Yashagoro," it hissed out.

"If you remember my father, then you also know what I'm here for."

"Yes," it replied. "You seek our contract. You view yourself as worthy, despite obvious deficiencies."

Very clever, trying to rile me up. That would've worked on almost anyone else.

"Well, you brought me here, away from that false entrance," I drawled back. "That has to mean something, no?"

Peals of laughter, raspy and dissonant, echoed around me.

"You are a clever one, Orochimaru, son of Yashagoro. I do believe he was sworn to never tell another of the clans values."

I said nothing, waiting for voice to continue.

"Good, you know when not to speak. This is something to be appreciated as well."

The room around me brightened; unrevealed torches lit with chakra-fueled flames, revealing a massive purple snake with a ridged brow. If it were more human, it probably would have been sneering at me.

"I am Manda, combat leader of the snake clan. Normally, I would be testing your worthiness. However, our leader sensed something special about you and has granted you an audience."

He scoffed and turned around, nearly hitting me with his massive tail. Why is it that everyone I'm with as of late is a smug prick, my clones included?

"You will follow," he hissed, even though I was already walking with him.

We traversed through a winding hallway torches springing to life ahead to reveal the path. Damn theatrics.

Eventually, the hallway widened into a massive chamber that actually resembled a cave. We were completely surrounded by white scales that stemmed from behind the massive throne before us. A massive white snake rested on the throne, its long body was decorated with golden bands. Its head was adorned with a strange turban-like headdress with two black horns sprouting from its front like a samurai's helmet adornment and orange fur running down the back.

"I have brought him as you ordered, Hakuja-sama," Manda hissed, speaking in a tone of deference that didn't suit him.

"Very good, Manda. You may go," the white snake, Hakuja, responded, not taking its eyes off of me. Manda complied, once again swiping at me with his tail on the way out.

"So, you are Orochimaru," the White Snake Sage said, puffing a massive cloud of smoke at me. I nodded in response, as his chakra enveloped me.

It was extremely strange, unlike any other chakra I have ever felt. It had the standard mix of spiritual and physical energy, but it had a third facet that I have never felt before. It was calming and peaceful, and felt strangely familiar. This must have been the natural energy that Senjutsu practitioners like Hashirama employed. However, this snake's senjutsu was different from that of Hashirama. Where his felt like walking through a forest, this snake's felt like being coiled tightly by a constrictor. It was still calming, but it also invoked a sense of commanded respect and eloquence.

"I'm sure you are familiar with this energy due to your acquaintance with the now dead Man of the Forest, but I sense that you know more, much more than a youngling as yourself would normally know."

I finally found my voice.

"I do. I can feel your intent and hints of your personality in your aura."

He puffed out another cloud of smoke before continuing.

"You are an interesting one, Orochimaru."

"I'm guessing that's a good thing?" I asked.

The Sage laughed before continuing.

"It is both good and bad."

He slithered down from his perch before his snout was almost touching me.

"I commend you for figuring out how to get in here. However, what makes you think you are worthy of signing our Contract?" its gaze rested on my covered stump. "You are clearly not even a full human, with a handicap as blatant as your own."

"I more than make up for any deficiencies with my knowledge, creativity, and skills," I replied, trying not to sound too arrogant.

"I see. As Manda said, we have been watching you, for a number of reasons," it glanced at something among its coiled body before continuing. "Did you know that your father's last request as our summoner was not to save him, but rather to look after you?"

I shook my head.

"Yashagoro was a good summoner. He fully embodied our ideals of sacrifice in many ways. However, he was lacking in other senses."

The White Snake Sage looked back at me scrutinizingly.

"You are very much the same in many ways, but I believe you are more. That why I personally exempted you from the trials all potential signers of the Contract must pass."

His massive body moved around me, completely surrounding me.

"You are without a doubt, the most fitting contracted human to my knowledge thus far. You willingly gave up your arm in defense of another. You seek to unravel the mysteries of this world and the chakra within it, and exist on a plane of intelligence beyond that of all your peers. Most importantly, you are still conscious and intact, despite my forcing my chakra on you since you set foot in this room. That's some impressive control of your chakra you have there, youngling, even subconsciously so."

I suddenly became more aware of the coating of chakra I had created to repel the suffocating nature of Hakuja's chakra. How curious.

"Normally, we do not offer such an honor to someone not even one of our own…" he grumbled.

Was he really going to do so now? I was only fourteen. I don't think Naruto even started learning about senjutsu until halfway through Shippuden.

Smoke once again filled my vision, clearing to reveal a scrolled lain out between Hakuja and myself. There was a considerable amount of crossed out names signed onto it, with the most recent name being that of my deceased father, Yashagoro.

"This is our contract. Sign it quickly so we can continue."

I bit my thumb hard enough to draw blood. As neatly as I could, I stroked "Orochimaru" onto the chakra-laced parchment. With another smoky discharge of chakra, the scroll was gone.

"There, you are now our contracted human. However, I have devised a new trial for you, due to our unique circumstances," he said, looking at me intently. "Do you wish to become one of us? A true member of the clan?"

"I do," I replied.

"Very well. Prepare yourself, Orochimaru. This will hurt greatly."

Without warning, he sprung forward, sinking one of his massive fangs into my left trapezius. Then, all I felt was pain. It felt like my body was both melting and turning to stone simultaneously. At first, my chakra pushed back futilely before changing to adjust its ratios to match that of the foreign chakra invading my system as closely as possible.

As suddenly as it came, the pain ceased when the White Snake Sage dislodged its fang from my body, the wound closing as well, most likely due to the his intention to heal me. I tried to pull myself onto my feet, but felt too stiff to do so.

"Very impressive. I didn't expect you to stay conscious after such a large injection of natural energy. From what I've heard from those toads, their human is still struggling to function with half as much."

I blinked at that. I had honestly forgotten that the summon clans stayed in contact somehow.

"That being said, I refuse to be behind those toads in any sense," he grumbled, slithering closer to me. I could smell the familiar smell of smoke on his breath. "Unfortunately for you, you joined us later than the toad's brat joined them. You're just going to have to be trained twice as hard."

I smirked.

"I'll do what I must to meet your expectations then, Hakuja-sama," I replied. "However, I must return to the false entrance now. I have a comrade waiting, so if you would so me how to desummon myself from this realm, it would be much appreciated."

If he had eyelids, I'm sure he would have narrowed his eyes at me.

"Very well, I will send you back. However, you will return here every for two days every week to further your training. I will oversee it personally, so consider yourself honored. Furthermore, you will not be able to summon any of the clan until I deem you worthy."

I didn't even get a chance to respond before he puffed yet another cloud in my face as I felt the familiar pull of chakra sending me back to my previous location. I nearly fell when my feet made contact with solid ground if not for Sakumo's incredible reaction speed.

"You alright? What happened in… wherever you went? You were in there for the whole night" he asked. He pulled me back, examining me. "You look different."

Damn snake must have made me even more snake-like with his chakra bite.

"I'm officially the holder of the Snake Clan Contract. As for my appearance, their leader bit me and infused a chakra-infused venom into my bloodstream, making me into whatever I am now. Now, I would like to head back to Konoha. I'll admit that I'm curious as to what I look like now."

I slid his hands off my shoulders and straightened my back, stretching the kinks caused by the nature chakra injection. Before I could head back to Konoha, Sakumo interrupted me with a panicked shout.

"What do you mean venom? I barely just met you, and I feel like you're already going to die."

I shrugged and continued ambling back to Konoha.

"I'm sure I'll be fine. The snakes are known for pragmatism and cunning, not wanton cruelty and stupidity. They need me as much as I need them, after all. And two consecutive summoner deaths really won't look good for them," I replied, in a tone not unlike the one he used for the duration of the journey.

Sakumo growled angrily, though it wasn't serious anger, and ran past me. He looked over his shoulder and grinned at me.

"If you're so sure you're okay, then how about a race? Last one back to the village gates has to buy dinner for the winner."

With the challenge proposed, he raced off towards the rising sun.

What a cheater, he totally had an unfair head start. I grinned as I pushed chakra into my feet, racing past him to his surprise.

Take that, you cheeky bastard.


End file.
